Separable fastener



y 3, 1933. J. B. FREYSINGER 1,910,391

S-EPARABLE FASTENER Filed March 17, 1952 Fig. 1.-

Patented May 23, 1933 1 1 Joint is. iinnysmsnn, new Bartram; connno'ricnr, assrenon. TO nonrn & Joni) 1 MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 011 nEwBaITAIN', comvnc'rrcur, A oonronarron or y CONNECTICUT snrannnnnrnsrnnnn Application filed March"17,1932. Serial Iifo. 599,483.

The present invention relates to separable fasteners, and has for an object the provision ofan improved device of this kind which may be conveniently used in connecting two 1 membersor parts of the same member to- -gether. 1 i 1 I The present inventionmay be used in connection withbelts, wearing apparel, baggage, suchlas brief bags, et cetera. Y 1

A further object of the present invention is to'provide a simple, strong, durable and inexpensivefastening device which may be quickly andeasily operated. 1.

Other objects willbe in part obvious,-and in part pointed out morein detail herein- -after.= 1 1 11 f 1 1 The invention accordingly "consist in the features of construction, combination of elementsiand arrangement of parts which will be exemplifiedin the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicatedin the 1 appended claims. 1 1 1 1 1 1 it 1In theaccompanying drawing, whereinis 1 shown, byway of illustration, one: of the embodiments which the present invention may take, 1 1: l Fig. 1 isa front view of a fastening device constructed according :to the: present inven- Fig. 2 is a rear view of the samewith parts broken away; T 1 1 i Fig. 3 is aview taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; l 1

1 Fig. 4 is a side elevationof a fastening de- 1 vice constructed accordingtothe present .in-

vention; 1 1 1 Fig. 5 is a view of another embodiment of the present invention showing the various parts indis-assembled relation; 1 1

Fig. 6 is a front view of the same with (parts broken away; and 1 1 Fig. 7 is a view taken onthe line 7-.7% of arrows. 1 1 Referring more particularly to. the drawing, and more particularly to the embodiment shown inFigs. 1 toe, inclusive, A designates, generally, a barmemberifand B 1 Fig. and looking in the direction of the designates, generally, a catch member of the fastening device. Thebar memberA may be 111 1116 form of a strip of sheet metal provided Wltll suitable means for securingithe same to an element intended to be connected to anotherelement. 1 For example, the barmember is shown ashaving, at each end, a tongue 10, and these tongues maybe secured by means of rivets 11 to the element X which may be one end of a strap or belt, the body of a brief bag, et cetera. The body portion of the bar member is made in the form of an I-beam, as

clearly shown in Fig. 3, having'the enlarged base 12 and the flanges 13 which provide a track. The outeredge of each flange 13 is provided with a series of teeth 14:. Each of the teeth 14 is provided with a squared end or abutment and an inclined side edge. While the bar member is here shown as being straightfit obviously may be longitudinally curved. 1 y

The catch member B of the fastening dev'i'cehas a frame member 15 preferably formed ofsheet metal and provided with an "outer wall 16 and parallel and rearwardly extending side walls 17 The free rearward ends of the side walls 17 are provided with inturned flanges 18 adapted to engage behindthe flanges 13 of the bar member A when the parts of the fastener are in operative position. At one end of the frame member 115, and preferably formed integrally with the outer wall 16 thereof, is a trans- "versely extending loop 19 which affords means for securing the frame member to the "other element Y which maybe the end of a belt or the strap with which a brief bag "is usually provided. Theend of the strap Y may be threaded through the loop 19, folded backupon'the main partofthestrap and -then secured thereto by the rivet 20; The

connection between the loop 19 and the wall 16 is outwardly bent as at 21 so that the :loop is outwardly offset from the wall 16. 1

As may be seen in Fig. 2, the flanges 18 of the frame member 15 at one end are cut away as at 22 to facilitate the threading of the frame memberf15 upon the bar member A.

Pivotally mountedupon the frame member 115i is; a pair of spring pressed catches 23, y

each of which is provided with a front wall 24, a side wall. 25, a rear wall 26 and an end Wall 27. Each of the catches 23 is provided at its end opposite to the end wall 27 with an inturned nose 28 adapted to take in behind the teeth 14 on the bar member A. The catches 23 are disposed outwardly of, on opposite sides of, and spaced from, the frame member 15 on which they are pivot.- ally mounted by means of pivot pins 29 received by the frame member 15 and the catches 23 adjacent the noses 28 of the catches 23.

The noses 28 of the catches 23 arenormally urged into engagement with the teeth 14 on the bar member A by means of V-shaped springs 30 hearing againstthe walls 17 and of'the frame member 15 and the catches 23, respectively. The springs are restrained from longitudinal movement since they are confined between the end "walls 27 of the catches 23 and the pivot pin receiving portions of the frame member 15.

The wall 25 of each catch 23, adjacent its end wall 27, is roughened .as at 31 to provide a good gripping surface for the thumb and forefinger of the user of :the fastener.

lVhen it is desired to assemble .the catch member of the fastener on the bar member, it is merely necessary for the user to grip the catch member B and thread it upon the bar member A, or the bar member may be threaded through the catch member. The .noses 28 of the catches 23 will ratchet over the teeth 14 and, when the catch member 13 has been moved to the desired position, upon release .of the catch member, the noses 28 of the catches 23 will engage behind the adjacent teeth of the bar member, and the fastener will be locked in the desired -position. It is apparent that, as long as the catch member B is in position upon the bar member A, the flanges 18 of the slide member '15 will engage behind the flanges 13 on the bar member, whereby any accidental disengagement of the catch member B from the bar member A is obviated. In order to remove the catch member 13 from the bar member, it is merely necessary for the user to grip the roughened portions of the walls 25 of the catches 23 between his thumb and finger and press the walls 25 toward one another against the tension of the springs 30. The

noses 28 of the catches 23 will thus be 'disengaged from the teeth 14, and the catch member B may beslid along and-off the bar member A.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5 to 7 A designates, generally, a bar member and B designates, generally, a catch member of the fastening device. The bar member comprises a strip of metal having a loop 40 at one end thereof which is adapted to be secured to an element which is intended to be connected to another element. The bar member also comprises an elongated track portion 41 extending from the loop 40, and each edge of the track portion is provided with a series of teeth 42. The

track portion 41 is also provided with a '7 longitudinally extending reinforcingrib 43 which imparts strength and rigidity to the teeth .42. Each tooth is provided with a squared end or. abutment and an inclined side edge. Thebar member, at the end 01)- 7 'posite to the loop 40, haseach of its side edges beveled, as at 44, to'facilitate'thr'eading the bar member through the catch memher.

The catch member B has a base portion the ends and extending from the free' edges of these side walls are-tongues 51 which are adapted to be inserted in suitable'open-v ings in the base 45 and clenched over, as shown in Figs. 5 to :7, beneath the base in order to secure the frame 48 upon the base 45. The frame 48 is also provided withaper- =tured ears 52 which are adapted to receive pivot pins 53. ZPi-votally mounted upon the frame 48 is a pair'of'catc-hes 54-eac'h of which is provided with an outer wall 55 and aside wall 56. Each catch 54 has a heel 5.7-extending inwardly from one end of the side wall 56. At the opposite end of each side wall 56 of each catch 54 is disposed an inwardly GX-I tending detent 58 which overlies the adjacent end of'the frame 48 and is adapted to cooperate with the series of teeth 42 on the bar member A. Eachcatch 54 is provided witlran apertured car 59, and eachouter wall 55 is provided with an opening 60 which'is in alignment with the aperture in the car 59. These apertures in the catches 54 .are ada pted to receive the pivot pins 53 by means of which they are pivotally secured to the each catch 54 and the respective adjacent side wall 50 of the frame 48 is a V-shaped spring 61, the closed end of which abuts against'the ear 52 of the frame 48 and has one of its legs engaging against the adjacent invention is substantially the same as that frame 48. Confined between the wall 56 of disclosed in Figs. 1 to 4. The bar member may be threaded through the frame 48 and the detents 58 of the catches 54 will ratchet over the teeth of the bar member until the r 5 desired position has been reached, at which time each detent 58 will engage behind an adjacent tooth. In order to disengage the bar member from the catch member, it is only necessary to engage the side walls 56 of the catches 54 with the fingers and move the catches so thatthe heels 57 will approach each other, whereby the detents 58 are disengaged from the teeth of the bar member 1 and the latter may be withdrawn from the catch member.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be. made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. it

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all. of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a separable fastener, a bar member provided with a series of teeth on each of its outer edges, a catch member comprising a frame embracing said bar member, a pair of spring pressed catches pivotally mounted outwardly of and on opposite sides of said frame and adapted to cooperate with said frame member and the catches for normally urging the catches into gripping relation with the teeth of the bar member.

2. In a separable fastener, a bar member having a track providedwith series of teeth onboth of its outer edges, a frame embracing said bar member, said bar member and frame adapted to have relative sliding movement, catches pivoted to said frame, each having a nose and anend wall,and. a spring bearing against said frame and each catchremote from said nose, whereby saidnose is normally urged into gripping relation with said teeth, said spring also being confined be: tween said frame and the end wall of said catch. i I

3. In a separable fastener, a bar member having a track portion with a series of teeth 60 on at least one of its outer edges, a catch member completely encircling said bar mem her and including a base plate, an inverted U-shaped frame detachably secured to said base plate, said base plate and frame defining a passageway for slidably receiving said teeth, and springs confined between the bar member,the legs of the U-shaped frame being adapted to limit the lateral movement of said bar member, and acatch pivoted to said frame.

JOHN B. FREYSINGER. 

